Top 10 Worst Leonard Cohen Album Covers

General discussion about Leonard Cohen's songs and albums
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jarkko
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Top 10 Worst Leonard Cohen Album Covers

Post by jarkko »

I operate a humor website called TheSharkGuys.com, with another writer (we are both Canadian). I am a long-time fan of Leonard Cohen, and for today's blog we poked a bit of fun at some of the artwork that adorns his albums in our Top 10 Worst Leonard Cohen Album Covers list. The list begins with a review of Tim Footman's new book on Leonard, and ends with a list of my favorite songs by him, so it is assuredly by a fan.

The list is here:

http://www.thesharkguys.com/2009/12/21/ ... um-covers/

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Re: Top 10 Worst Leonard Cohen Album Covers

Post by Evie B »

It's difficult to argue against what they say :lol:

I have always rather liked the 'Recent Songs' drawing, very nice. For me, the best cover is the Greatest Hits picture - I got the impression from a comment of Leonard's that this was his favourite photo, he certainly does look very handsome in it.

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Re: Top 10 Worst Leonard Cohen Album Covers

Post by holydove »

Thank you for the posting, Jarkko - pretty funny. But I don't agree with the idea that proclaiming his voice to be "golden" was a joke - I think (as most ,if not all, of us surely do) he absolutely does have a golden voice (though Leonard, in his great humility, might have seen it as a joke - don't know. . .)

And perhaps, funnier than the cover art, are some of the titles of Leonard's albums - e.g.,Ten New Songs, & Recent Songs . . . I haven't been able to decide if such titles are Zen jokes, if he just doesn't care about the titles, if the titles are an expression of irony (the simplicity belying the complexity of the albums' content), or if (with titles such as Ten New Songs or Recent Songs) they are spiritual teachings about the relativity or illusory nature of time - because it is interesting to consider that 100 or 1000 years from now, those songs will still be labeled "new"& "recent"! (or maybe a teaching about the newness of every moment - how, to an enlightened mind, everything is always new). . . Interesting how such apparently simple titles can induce such contemplation - maybe they are not so simple, after all!
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Re: Top 10 Worst Leonard Cohen Album Covers

Post by Stamatina »

Dear Heather as a number 1 on this list? BLASPHEMY!! :razz: :razz: :roll:
I absolutely love this cover (and the drawing as well).
Also, I believe Leonard is exceptionally cute on the "More Best Of" cover and I admit the title of the album made me laugh like hell when I first heard about it. It just sounded crazy "Best Of" and then "MORE Best Of". :razz: :razz: :roll:

In my opinion, the worst album cover is definately Various Positions. But it doesn't matter, because it's got the best title of all. :D And I don't like "Songs Of", either.


But Dear Heather is just beautiful, one of my favorite album covers ever, why would they put it on the top of this list? :oops:
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Re: Top 10 Worst Leonard Cohen Album Covers

Post by holydove »

I also love the Dear Heather drawing; for that matter, I also love the photo of Leonard on Songs of Love & Hate - I think that's a great picture of him! And I also really like the portrait of him on Recent Songs; and I also really like the drawing on The Future album; and I think the photo on Songs From A Room is very cool (with a very interesting & befitting background arrangment); and I also like the photo on Various Positions, etc., etc., guess you get the idea. . .

So I guess the topic of poking fun at Leonard's album covers doesn't exactly "fly" for me, though I'll concede that the manner in which it was done was rather witty, and did make me chuckle a couple of times. . .
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Re: Top 10 Worst Leonard Cohen Album Covers

Post by somewhat_nifty »

hehe, very amusing - I always thought that the Songs of... album cover was a little bit 'Godfather' too :lol: Agree it's a shame that Dear Heather's at the top of the list, I think it's beautiful. They have got Cohen Live spot on though ;-)
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Re: Top 10 Worst Leonard Cohen Album Covers

Post by mnkyface »

I enjoyed this list! Gotta disagree about Death of a Ladies Man though...I love that picture!!

I've always disliked the Songs from a Room cover. His claw-like hand weirds me out. :lol:
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Re: Top 10 Worst Leonard Cohen Album Covers

Post by John Etherington »

That would make the best covers...

Live Songs
Greatest Hits/Best Of
New Skin For the Old Ceremony
I'm Your Man
More Best Of
Ten New Songs
Live in London

Hmmmmm?

My personal favourite covers (I think) are "Songs Of Leonard Cohen", "Songs From a Room" and "Recent Songs". They are also three of my favorite albums

All goog things, John E
Last edited by John Etherington on Thu Dec 24, 2009 1:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Top 10 Worst Leonard Cohen Album Covers

Post by LisaLCFan »

It is fun to see a tongue-in-cheek look at an aspect of Leonard's work! I've always thought that Leonard's album covers were charming (interpret that as you will!). I was surprised (as were others) by the inclusion of Dear Heather on the list, let alone at #1, since it is a beautiful cover. And, no mention of Field Commander Cohen? Am I the only one who thinks that that picture of Leonard borders on "scary"? :lol:
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Re: Top 10 Worst Leonard Cohen Album Covers

Post by John Etherington »

Hi Lisa, I forgot "Field Commander Cohen", but now that you mention it, it may well be my favourite Leonard cover!
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Re: Top 10 Worst Leonard Cohen Album Covers

Post by holydove »

The cover of Death of a Ladies' Man is actually the ONLY thing I ever liked about that album; and ironically, I think it might be one of my favorite covers, and it's on the ONLY album that I find not only distasteful, but intolerable - not because of the songs themselves, obviously, but because of Phil Spector's "wall of puke". . . (sorry, but I just can't help ranting about that horrible Spector thing. . .)
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Re: Top 10 Worst Leonard Cohen Album Covers

Post by LEONKA »

This is my most beautiful packaging:

THE FUTURE
LIVE IN LONDON
NEW SKIN FOR THE OLD CEREMONY
LIVE SONGS
THE NEW SONGS
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Re: Top 10 Worst Leonard Cohen Album Covers

Post by MaryB »

As a true obsessed LC addict, I have to say I love them all!!!!! Not a bad cover to be found.
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